During proper installation of a rearwardly-facing child car seat (RFCCS) in an automobile, the car seat recline angle should be approximately 45 degrees relative to the vehicle seat. This angle optimizes child comfort. Child car seats and vehicle seats have different angles. The slope of the vehicle seat may raise the back of the child car seat too much, putting the infant in an upright rather than reclined position. For example, a caregiver may install a child car seat in a vehicle correctly, except to find that the seats of the vehicle are at such a steep angle that the child car seat is not oriented at the optimal 45-degree recline angle.
Child car seat manufacturers have tried to ensure that the child car seat can be installed at a 45 degree recline angle by building in an angle-adjusting foot into the child car seats. In some cases, the angle to which a child car seat can be adjusted is still not sufficient to provide an optimal 45 degree recline angle. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that the caregiver use rolled up towels or extruded foam (float noodles) to adjust the angle of the child car seat. However, rolled up towels or float noodles can leave a large margin of error during the installation of the child car seat. Furthermore, the towels may not be rolled up tight enough, which could lead to shifting. Moreover, both rolled up towels and float noodles can interfere with the straps that are used to secure the child car seat to the vehicle seat.
There are several conventional aftermarket products that are used to adjust the angle of a child car seat. One aftermarket product is basically an oversized (diameter) float noodle with a cylindrical cross-section. This product provides only one fixed adjustment angle. Once the child grows out of the child car seat, the product becomes obsolete and is removed from the vehicle, at which point it can be easily misplaced. Also, the product is made of closed cell foam. The foam is exposed; therefore, the child can pick at the foam and possibly ingest it, which can result in serious complications for the child.
Another aftermarket product is an oversized float noodle with a triangular cross-section. The three irregular sides of the triangle allow the caregiver to rotate the product to three different positions, giving the consumer the ability to adjust the child car seat to three different fixed angles. Again, once the child grows out of the child car seat, the product becomes obsolete and is removed from the vehicle, at which point it can be easily misplaced. This product is also made of closed cell foam, which has similar safety problems as discussed earlier.
Thus, there is a need for an angle adjuster for a rearwardly-facing child car seat that allows for different recline angles for different types and sizes of child car seats and vehicle seats.